Battle of Dong Xoai

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Battle of Dong Xoai

Date	June 10, 1965
Location	Dong Xoai, South Vietnam
Result	Viet Cong tactical victory

Combatants

Image:FNL Flag.svg Viet Cong

Image:Flag of South Vietnam.svg South Vietnam
Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States

Commanders

Gen. Le Trong Tan

Gen. Cao Van Vien
2nd Lieu. Charles W. Williams

Strength

1,500

10,000

Casualties

350+ KIA

800+ ARVN KIA
US 7 KIA, 15 wounded, 13 MIA

Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Ia Drang – Long Tan – Dak To – Tra Binh Dong –Ong Thanh – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Lang Vei – Hills 881 & 861 – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Ripcord – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – An Loc – Kontum – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buon Ma Thuot – Xuan Loc – 2nd Saigon – Barrell Roll – Rolling Thunder – Pony Express – Steel Tiger – Commando Hunt – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Chenla I – Tiger Hound – Lima Site 85 – Tailwind – Chenla II – Cambodia

The Battle of Dong Xoai was an early battle of the Vietnam War. Dong Xoai was manned by US-trained South Vietnamese special forces and militiamen, those troops were reinforced with two more battalions following VC attacks on Phuoc Binh and Song Be. With a strong defence system the ARVN were confident that their base could withstand a Viet Cong attack, but they were wrong.

[edit] Battle of Dong Xoai

It began on June 10 after midnight when the Viet Cong launched attacks with constant mortar bombardment and small arms fire, hitting bunkers and machine gun positions. The defensive perimeters around the sub-sector were falling one by one.

Second Lieutenant Charles W. Williams, executive officer of the special forces detachment, ordered his men to take a defensive position inside the district headquarters after he realises that the camp is nearly overrun by VC forces. At dawn U.S and South Vietnamese air forces conducted airstrikes on VC positions with napalm but the Viet Cong hold on to their positions.

Anti-aircraft fire by VC Units C2, C8 and C11 prevented heliborne reinforcements from landing as the South Vietnamese troops on the ground were taking heavy casualties. Later in the day reinforcements from the ARVN's 42nd Ranger Battalion were forced to land at Thuan Loi, they clambered out and immediately exchange fire and fighting continued into the night. One US Battalion had landed at Dong Xoai airstrip but was not committed into battle by Westmoreland.

By dawn of the next day the Viet Cong had withdrawn and disappeared into the jungle leaving behind a battered ARVN force. The demoralised and panic-stricken ARVN suffered more than 800 casualties, the US suffered 7.